The Path to Family
by lilyevans518
Summary: My take on Lily finding out she's pregnant, James' and Lily's reaction to the prophecy, and Harry's birth. I hope you enjoy! DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters used.


_No. This isn't happening. We were careful._ These were just a few of the thoughts that spiraled around Lily Potter's head as she looked at the calendar. She had come to the shocking realization her cycle was nearly a month and a half late. That coupled with the "stomach bug" she seemed to have caught in the last two weeks could only mean one thing: she was pregnant. Lily, though knowing this, was in complete denial. She needed undeniable proof, or in other words, a positive pregnancy test. James was gone on a mission for the Order, so she was able to sneak off to Muggle London without having to answer questions. _Merlin help me._

She had gone into the first chemist shop she saw and bough three tests. Ignoring the strange look she got from the teenage boy that rang her up, she darted from the store and went home. Once she was safely in her and James' bathroom, she opened the first box and prayed to Merlin, God, or whoever would listen that it would be negative. While she waited she took the other two tests. After that, all that was left to do was sit and wait. To wait like this would have been agonizing for anyone, but it was especially torturous for Lily, who had been lovingly called "The Most Impatient Person in the Known Universe" many times by James. She decided she couldn't just be a sitting duck, so she rose and left the bathroom. She inspected their little flat and remembered when James asked her to move in with him.

FLASHBACK

They were sitting under their tree, right off Black Lake. They were just about to finish their seventh year, and Lily was trying to help James study for his potions NEWT. Well, that was the idea they had when they decided to meet there, but they both knew that they wouldn't be doing much studying. They had spent a great deal of their time studying each others' lips and tongue, and then decided it was time for a "study break." He had his back against the tree trunk, and she was nestled in his arms. Then, in true James Potter fashion, he just blurted out the question:

"Will you move in with me after graduation?"

Lily's parents had died that year at the hands of Voldemort, and she was planning on getting a flat in London and joining the fight against the wizard who murdered her parents. Lily shot up in shock.

"What?"

"Move in with me."

She gave it some thought for a moment. _This is crazy. We can't move in together. Ugh why does he have to be so fucking adorable. I could stare into those hazel eyes for the rest of my life. Wait what am I doing? I love him. Moving in makes sense. Yes. Oh wait I still haven't said anything._

"Lily? You alright?"

"Yes"

"Yes, you're alright? Or yes you'll move in with me?"

"Both"

Their study break ended at exactly that moment.

END OF FLASHBACK

It was time. She made her way back into the bathroom and took the first test in her hands. She looked down and saw the two red lines. She took a deep breath. _I still have two more. This one could have been defective._ Even though she knew it wasn't defective, she still held on to hope. She picked up the second test and saw a pink plus sign. _Oh no please no. Please God no._ She picked up the third test. This one didn't have any lines or plus signs, but said the one word she was didn't think she'd see for at least another five years: PREGNANT. _Shit._

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James hated being sent on missions without Sirius, Remus, or Lily. They knew him so well, they could anticipate what spell he would use next before even he could. Moody, however, didn't really care about James' comfort. So that's how James ended up badly injured from a battle with some Death Eaters. He was sent in with a rookie member of the order that had absolutely no clue what to do. The rookie wasn't half bad, but he wasn't at all prepared for the battle. They still managed to beat the trio of Death Eaters, but James was hit with one too many curses and collapsed.

When he woke up, he was in Sirius' bed. He was bandaged and in fresh clothes. He tried to stand up, but felt a shooting pain in his left leg. He gasped and fell back on the bed. Seconds later, Sirius came in to check on him.

"What the hell? Prongs, you gotta stay in the bed."

"Why am I here? What happened? Where's Lily?"

"Woah one at a time mate. You were injured from the battle, but Moody thought it would be too risky to get you to St. Mungo's. That's why you're here. We've been trying to reach Lily, but we haven't been able to catch her yet. The minute we do, she'll get you out of my bed and into yours. That about cover it?"

"Yeah. Thanks Pads."

"Anytime. Now stay in bed and rest so I don't have to deal with your sorry arse groaning every minute."

"Fuck off."

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 _This is a bad idea._ Lily knew Petunia wouldn't want to see her, but she didn't care. She needed to see her sister. Taking a few deep breaths, she walked up to 4 Privet Drive and rang the bell. To her surprise, Petunia opened it with a smile, but it fell once she saw who it was.

"What are you doing here?"

"I just needed to see you."

"Why?"

"Come on Tuney, are you gonna let you little sister freeze out here in the cold?"

"Fine. Come in."

Lily entered the foyer of her sister's home. It was decorated horribly, like a grandmother's house. Lily thought of how cool she thought her sister was growing up, and how very different things were now.

"So?" Petunia's slightly annoyed question broke Lily's thought.

"It's really good to see you. Marriage seems to be treating you well. I daresay you're glowing."  
"Well that's what they say about the second trimester." She didn't even realize she said that until it left her tongue.

"You're…you're pregnant?" Lily's heart sank. She knew her relationship with Petunia wasn't good by any means, but she thought Tuney would at least share news as big as this with her only sister.

"Yes. It's a boy."

"Oh my goodness. I'm so happy for you, Tuney. That's really wonderful. I bet Vernon's over the moon."

"Yes, he is."

An awkward silence ensued until Petunia spoke up.

"So, why are you here again?"

Lily thought about whether she should tell the truth.

"Well you see, I just got some news."

"Really? And what news would that be?"

"I'm pregnant." That was the first time she said those words out loud. It was very strange.

"Oh. Well congratulations, I guess."

"Thanks, Tuney."

"Listen, I hate to do this, but I'm expecting company soon."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I'll get out of your hair."

"Bye Lily. You can see yourself out."

Lily made her way to the door and fought the instinct to look back to her sister. She rounded the corner off Privet Drive, sat down on a curb, and sobbed.

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Sirius was starting to get worried. _Where is she?_ They had tried to reach her flat about a thousand times but there was no answer. It was too risky to send a patronus, so they just had to wait. Just as he was thinking something might have happened, she burst in the door.

"Lily! Thank Merlin! We've been trying to reach you all d-"

"Sirius, I need to tell you something."

"It can wait. As I said I've be-"

"Sirius, please. Whatever you have to say, I promise mine is more important."

She seemed incredibly anxious, which was out of character.

"Okay, alright. Is everything okay?"

Lily made her way to the kitchen and pulled down two glasses and a bottle of firewhiskey.

"Uh-oh. This can't be good" Sirius' attempt at a joke went unrecognized.

Lily poured the firewhiskey.

"Alright Black, down the hatch."

He swallowed the drink in one gulp, allowing the liquor to burn his throat.

"Okay now the other one," she ordered. He looked at her like she was a madwoman.

"Look I really need a drink right now, but I can't have one, so you need to drink for me."

"Lily, what the hell-"

"Just do it, alright!"

"Okay fine. Fine." He swallowed the second glass.

"Now will you tell me what's going on?"

Not even letting that statement sit for a millisecond, she blurted out: "I'm pregnant."

Sirius was not expecting that. His eyes grew wide in shock, and he sank into a chair at his kitchen table.

"Wow," he said, barely audible.

"I know," said Lily, collapsing into the chair across from him.

Silence. Then, Sirius spoke up.

"So what are you gonna do?"

"I have no fucking clue."

"I mean, would it really be that bad? You and James are happily married, and you've always wanted kids."

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of a fucking war. More and more of our friends go missing or turn up dead every week. The Ministry is corrupt. Everything is escalating. This is just about the worst possible time for me to have a baby."

Neither of them heard James in the doorway.

"You're pregnant?"

Lily whipped around to see her husband bloodied and bandaged looking like a deer in headlights.

"James! Oh my god what happened to you?!"  
Sirius rose. "I was trying to tell you earlier. He was injured in battle, and Moody thought it would be safer here."

Honestly, Lily didn't care what happened. She was just glad he was safe.

"You're pregnant," he repeated.

"Oh, James, we can talk about that later. You need rest."

"No, we need to talk about this now," he said this with the tone of dominance she's only ever heard him use when giving out detentions as Head Boy.

"I'll let you two lovebirds talk," Sirius said as he quietly exited the kitchen.

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He couldn't believe what he just heard. _Lily's pregnant. Holy shit Lily's pregnant. We're having a baby. She's having my baby._ Now she was standing in front of him with tears in her eyes, obviously scared to death.

"What are we gonna do, James?"

"I mean, do you not want it?" Lily could see the pain in his eyes as he said that.

"We're in the middle of a war."

"Yeah."

"We're losing friends and family at the hands of Voldemort every week."

"I know." He was losing hope.

"You and I are huge targets for the Death Eaters."

"I know." He knew the risks, but he wanted this baby. However, he would never force Lily into anything she didn't want to do.

"Lily, it's your decision. Whatever you choose, I'll support you."

Hearing those words nearly brought Lily to her knees. _What did I do to deserve him?_

"I must incredibly selfish or stupid, but I don't want to let any of that get in the way of us being a family."

With that, James Potter's face completely lit up. His eyes sparkled, and he had the most magnificent grin on his face. He pulled Lily into a passionate kiss. They could have stayed like that forever if James hadn't tried to bear weight on his left leg. He yelped in pain and sent them both tumbling to the ground.

"Oh my god! James! Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine Lily. Are you hurt? Is the baby okay?"

She couldn't help but chuckle at his concern. They had only just decided on keeping the baby seconds earlier, and he was already so protective. Her chuckles slowly turned into laughter and before they knew it, both James and Lily were laughing hysterically on Sirius' kitchen floor. Lily rubbed her belly knowing her child was in there. In just nine months, she and James would be parents. The thought was scary, but she knew they'd be alright. As long as they had each other, everything would turn out fine.


End file.
